Products

Glycolide and Lactides
Glycolide and lactides are polymerized to produce homopolymers and copolymers, such as poly(lactide) (PLA) and poly(glycolide-co-lactide) (PGLA). A number of medical products including sutures, staples, orthopedic fracture fixation plates, and screws are made from PLA and/or PGLA polymers. These polymers have also found uses in dentistry, vascular grafts, urology, and nerve repair. The field of drug delivery using biodegradable polymers synthesized from glycolide and/or lactides has grown considerably in the past 15 years. The successes of using polymers based on glycolide and/or lactides for drug delivery systems are due to their controllable degradation profiles under biotic conditions, non-toxicity of the polymers and degradation by-products, and adequate mechanical properties. Additionally, PLA and PGLA polymers have received wide acceptance from the FDA to be used in many medical applications.

Polymers such as PLA and PGLA that are used in medical applications must meet strict specifications. The key to producing high quality PLA and PGLA begins with the monomer's purity. Our monomers are of the highest purity (≥ 99.5%). They have a very low free acid and residual moisture content which allows for much greater specificity when producing the final polymer. Pure monomers like those found in Altasorb ensure consistent, reliable, and high quality polymers.

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